Deepest, Darkest Shadow
by ericapeace1
Summary: Pursued by shadows and hunted by the Chitauri, Loki reveals to Odin what happened when he fell from the Bifrost. Also continues to after the Avengers.
1. Chapter 1

__Hi guys! Welcome to my new fic *drumroll* Hope you enjoy it!

As usual, I own nothing. If I did, I would have 3 Loki's. Just so I can hug him anytime I want!

(words in italics are quotes from the movie)

* * *

_He will make you long for something as sweet as pain…_

The words echo in his memory, burning themselves, implanting themselves in his consciousness. He lies, imprisoned in the fortress of Asgard, gagged and bound. Loki, the trickster, has been well and truly defeated.

But while the Avengers of Earth no longer have anything to fear from him, he has many powerful enemies to fear. The Chitauri, for one, will come for him. He knows this. _There will be no barren moon, no crevasse where he can't find you…_

Yes, the Chitauri will come. Sooner than he wants.

At least they'll make for a break in the boredom. Nothing much happens in prison.

_You think you know the meaning of pain…?_

He can practically feel the hot, fetid breath of the Chitauri on the back of his neck, and it's all he can do not to flinch away. Here, in the prison, there's no room for weakness. He can't show it. Not after what he's done. Not after what he's done, for the sake of his own skin.

He can still remember everything, all the events that lead up to this dull prison sentence.

* * *

"I could have done it, Father!" he screamed, clinging desperately to the end of the scepter.

Odin, the only father figure Loki had ever known, smiled gently down at him. "No, Loki," he murmured, sounding almost tender.

In that moment, it was all he could do to keep himself from weeping. His father- no, his adopted father, didn't think he was good enough. He had pushed himself, pushed to end the war and prove himself worthy, and all that Odin could do was deny him yet again.

Loki could feel even Thor's body shaking with the strain of holding on to both Odin's hand and the scepter that was all the held Loki from falling into the abyss.

He felt his lips curve in a sort of sad smile, tears welling in his eyes. He could no longer suppress them. Without taking his gaze from Odin's face, Loki let go, plummeting downwards into nothingness.

Thor's horrified shout echoed after him.

* * *

"Loki Odinson," drones a voice outside Loki's cell, and he jerks out of a daydream. "Odin Allfather had requested your presence."

The cell door swings open, admitting the burly guard who had spoken.

Loki doesn't bother to try to speak around the gag. All that accomplishes is a sore mouth. No, he will follow the guard without any outward sign of complaint. At least, for now.

He's pulled out of the cell and down the dank corridor, towards the glittering golden city of Asgard. The city of the gods, mortals call it, and rightly so. Asgard is a marvel, but Loki would rather be anywhere but here.

The guard pushed Loki onto his knees before the great throne. Odin Allfather, it seems, is not yet here. It's all Loki can do not to roll his eyes. His adopted father always did have a flair for the dramatic.

A moment later, Odin walks in, unaccompanied. That in itself is irregular. Usually, he would have at least a few guards.

"So, Loki," says Odin after a few seconds of silent contemplation. He avoids looking at Loki. "My son, all of us thought you dead when you fell into the abyss. Instead, you were changed, and not for the better. You were always mischievous, but you returned a monster, capable of killing anyone and everything in your path. I wish to know why you changed. I wish to know all that has happened to you after you fell from the Bifrost."

Loki arches an eyebrow, silently asking how he is to talk if he is still gagged. Odin nods in understanding. "Guards!" he barks, the sound echoing impressively.

The guards dart in and remove Loki's gag. The shackles, he notices, stay on.

"My thanks," says Loki, his voice hoarse and rough from disuse.

"My son-" Odin begins, but Loki cuts him off.

"I'm not your son, Odin Allfather," snarls Loki. "You know this as well as I."

"I know that we are not of the same blood," Odin says calmly, "but I also know that I raised you, and that alone makes us family."

"I would prefer you to refer to me with my name, and my name alone," says Loki through gritted teeth.

Odin sighs and nods. "As you wish. Now, Loki, tell me what happened."

A harsh laugh rips from Loki's mouth. "You do not want to know what happened," he says in a low voice. "You do not want to know the horrors."

* * *

At first, Loki fell quickly into the abyss; a wild, uncontrolled fall that filled him with a sort of terror. In a way, falling was a relief. He had known all along that he wasn't going to survive his schemes. Now he would die a martyr. All the better.

But all too soon, the fall began to slow, until he found himself floating in a vast ocean of stars. Dazzling, they twinkled above and below him. It took all his concentration to look away from the stars, to see where he was.

He was everywhere and nowhere, although he suspected it was more towards nowhere. He had fallen into the portal between the worlds with no road to the other side. It was then that he realized what each of the stars were: realms. Each one of the stars was a world. One of them, somewhere, was Asgard. Another was Midgard, and Jodenheim, and Niffleheim, and so many realms that were never even dreamed of by mortals or gods.

Loki was seeing the entire universe spread out before his eyes.

* * *

"At first," Loki murmurs, "it was beautiful. A world of stars, each one twinkling and shimmering with pure white light. But where there is light, there will always be shadows, and the shadows there were particularly vicious."

Odin frowns. "The shadows…?" he begins, but Loki cuts him off again.

"Don't interrupt, Allfather," he says. He wants his voice to be tough, to have hatred curl at its core, but he can't quite manage it. Instead, it sounds petulant, and he hates it. "Just listen to me."

* * *

After what seemed like days, Loki grew tired of the lights. With his magic, he tried to open a portal to one of the closest worlds, but he couldn't. He was still exhausted from the battle with Thor, and he didn't have enough strength left to finish the portal.

He tried again, and for a moment, one of the stars seemed to flicker, as if a distant shadow had passed across it.

Just as he was about to resign himself to a slow starvation, a distant roar shook the air. Suddenly, the lights from the stars are blotted out as huge shadowy monsters, drawn by his magic, reared into existence.

Loki couldn't help himself. He screamed as the monsters converged on him, their huge, shadowed heads filled with sharp teeth meant for chewing on the bones of one such as him.

A blast of magic sent them scrambling, but soon they are after him again, howling for his blood. The next blast, as Loki struggled to get away, didn't send them back as far. They were feeding on his magic, he realized. He couldn't hold them off. He needed to escape.

The desperation coursing through his veins allowed him to finish a portal, pouring all his remaining energy into its completion, but before he can dive through it, one of the beasts lashed out, its razor claws slicing through his armor like rice paper. Blood spattered the starry sky, but Loki was finally, mercifully, gone.

* * *

"Those monsters were like nothing I've ever seen," Loki mutters. He rests his head in his hands, feeling his back throb along the scars from the shadowy beasts. "Like shadow made solid. I don't even know how an Aesir could combat them. They absorbed my magic and fed on it. I almost didn't live through that encounter, even though I'm a…god." He can't make himself say frost giant. He hates himself for that weakness, but he can't bring himself to say it out loud.

Odin doesn't seem to notice the hesitation, but Loki knows he does. Odin always notices things like that. He always knows what Loki doesn't want him to.

"That one blow from the creature lacerated my back almost beyond aid. It had only three claws, but there were far more gashes in my back than that. And I had no magic left to heal myself. Sometimes I think it would've been a good thing if I had simply perished in that strange world."

When Odin opens his mouth to protest, Loki waves a hand to silence him. For once, Loki is the one in charge, and Odin is the one who falls silent. He feels a fierce pleasure that the Allfather is listening to him, obeying his orders.

"I do not say that I want to die, Allfather," Loki says smoothly. "I say that the quick death at the hands of those creatures might have been merciful, considering where I ended up after." He passes a hand over his brow, momentarily casting his eyes into shadows. "It was…not a pleasant place to be."

* * *

Loki fell out of the hastily constructed portal, bleeding profusely from the lacerations on his back. At first glance, it looked like he had fallen into a wonderland. He landed hard in the middle of a wide, open field, a vivid curse tearing itself from his mouth as pain wracked his body. For a moment, he lay there, unable to move, but the shock of the landing soon wore off, and he was able to force his battered body to his feet.

He looked around slowly, braced for the worst. For untold horrors, for monsters, for anything. But not for what he found.

He was standing unsteadily in a simple field of grain, much like one he had once seen on Midgard. Loki sighed for a moment, letting his eyes close.

In that one instant, the tall grass rustled as unseen things rushed towards Loki. His eyes snapped open at the noise, and the movement instantly stopped. Ever so cautiously, Loki closed his eyes again in a slow blink. The rustling grew to a great crescendo when closed them, and stopped abruptly when he opened them. It was not a good sign, he decided.

Making sure not to blink, he held out one hand and cautiously tried to summon magic. He was rewarded with nothing. Not even a spark.

Loki needed sleep. He needed sleep more than anything, but that rustling…he didn't trust it. He didn't think that it could be anything that did not bear him ill will.

* * *

"I thought the long hours of sitting there on that planet were some of the worst in my life," says Loki softly. "I couldn't even blink for fear of whatever lived in that grass coming any close. I didn't know what it was, but I had no defenses, and I was badly injured. Even if it was an army of kittens, I might have died."

Odin frowns, but says nothing.

Perhaps he knows how to listen after all.

"I managed to stay awake and conscious for a few hours before the blood loss started getting to me. I could feel myself slipping away, but I couldn't do anything. I'm ashamed to say that I passed out."

Odin raises an eyebrow and waits a moment before speaking. "What is there to be ashamed of, Loki?" he asks gently. "There is no shame in losing consciousness. You were injured, exhausted."

Loki shakes his head. "Thor would not have passed out," he says coldly. Now there is an edge of anger in his voice, exactly how he wants it. "Thor is much too powerful to pass out."

Odin sighs. "Powerful, yes. But also pigheaded and stubborn. I don't wonder that it will eventually be his downfall."

Loki looks at Odin sharply for a moment before continuing. "I believe we were talking about what happened after I fell into the abyss, Allfather," he says. "If you don't mind."

Odin nods, understanding that Loki does not want to talk about Thor. "Very well," he says quietly. "Continue."

"Where was I?" murmurs Loki theatrically, arcing one graceful eyebrow. "Ah, yes. The grain field."

* * *

Loki felt his head hit the ground and knew that he had finally succumbed to the mind-numbing effects of blood-loss. For a moment, his eyelids fluttered, and he heard the answering rustling in the field, but not even that could keep him conscious.

His last thought before fainting was the quiet notion that he might never wake up again.

* * *

Hellooo! School is finishing up now so I have some time to spare. (translated: all my teachers are assigning projects and I don't feel like doing them, so I started writing fanfiction again :D)

I know I've said this before, but I really do intend to get another chapter of this out soon. Probably because the Loki feels will eat me if I don't...

Anyway, r&r! :D you know you want to...


	2. Chapter 2

Hellooo! Let me just take a sec to say that I'm thrilled about the response to this. It may have only two reviews (let's make that a bigger number, hmmmm?) but I've NEVER gotten so many favorites or alerts for just one chapter. Thank you so much, guys!

Now, on to the good stuff ^.^

(I still own nothing. Sadly.)

* * *

To his great surprise, Loki woke up. He hissed with pain as he sat up, but he was alive. He was sore as hell, but he could feel that at least some of his strength had returned. The cuts and bruises from his battle with Thor were healing and scabbing over, as were the lacerations from the shadowy creatures. He held out his hand, flexing his fingers loosely, conjuring a small, but beautiful snake that wrapped itself contentedly around his hand. His magic was back.

Loki looked around cautiously. It seemed strange that whatever had made the rustling noise hadn't eaten him, or even harmed him in any way. But even when he closed his eyes for minutes at a time, the strange rustling never occurred.

Moving stiffly, he got to his feet and limped a short distance forward, straining to see if there was anything in the distance, but he could see nothing. Nothing but the strangely hypnotic amber grain that seemed to be all that grew here.

Suddenly, without warning, the rustling noise grew louder. Alarmed, Loki's eyes widened and he whipped around, wincing as his injuries throbbed. The rustling cut out abruptly.

But he could still see nothing, not a single speck of another living thing. The grass continued its mesmerizing sway, as though blown by a gentle, continuous gust of wind.

Except that there was no wind.

Loki felt like hitting himself. This world had to be magic. Quickly, he summoned his power and peeled away the layers of concealment that lay across his vision.

He had been so exhausted when he arrived that he hadn't noticed, though he didn't know how. Usually he was aware of these things right away.

It was very hard to pull one over of Loki, the Trickster.

Beneath the layers of magic lay a world that made Loki gasp, in both horror and awe.

Before him was a world of steel, a grotesquely steam punk version of a Midgardian city. Strangely built building towered skywards, grasping for the clouds they will never reach. Small vehicles hummed about the city, both flying and land-bound.

As though they could sense that Loki had broken through the layers of concealment, a group of the crafts split off from the city and rushed towards him.

Quickly, Loki let go of the flow of magic keeping his vision clear, allowing the wheat field to cloud his gaze once more.

Whether or not that discouraged the strange vehicles he didn't know.

* * *

Odin frowns. "You said that this world was not a pleasant place, Loki, but so far, I see almost nothing wrong with it. Not in a way that would make you shudder with horror."

Loki scoffs in amusement. "That is because I have not yet finished my tale, Allfather," he says through gritted teeth. "Though this world was hardly the worst."

Odin holds up his hand. "A moment, please, Loki. Before you continue your tale, I hope to cut short this very long story in favor of my original question: Why? You may have faced horrors, but why did that change you so?"

Loki can't help closing his eyes as the distant memory of pain washes over him. "In time, Allfather," he said quietly. "You must listen now. I listened to you as you say fit for all of my life. Now it is your turn to listen."

* * *

After a few minutes of standing, braced, ready for an attack, Loki slowly realized that the vehicles were not going to attack him so long as he didn't penetrate the layer of concealment.

That still left the rustling, though. He hadn't been able to keep his vision clear long enough to see what it really was, but he still had a nagging feeling that whatever it was wasn't good.

So why hadn't it killed him?

He had been asleep, vulnerable, and so weak that it probably could have killed him when he was awake.

So why did he still live?

Slowly, knowing the risk, he closed his eyes. The rustling started, quieter than usual.

"I want to see what you are," said Loki, his voice hoarse from disuse. How long had it been since he had spoken? "I wish to know why you did not harm me while I slept."

Eyes still closed, he waited for the rustling to grow to a crescendo, before it began to die away.

Suddenly, a guttural voice sounded in his ear. "You want to know why we don't kill you?" it growled harshly. It spit on the ground next to Loki. "Only because you were weak, like a child. No fun in killing if thing you kill is already half dead. We leave so you grow strong and fight back. Then, we kill."

Loki's eyes snapped open in alarm. He could see nothing, but he could still feel the thing's hot breath on the back of his neck.

"So when I'm strong again, you'll kill me? How considerate," he sneered, keeping the fear out of his voice with the ease of long practice. He is, after all, a known liar.

"We will come for you, soon enough," hissed the voice. "But your pursuers might just get you first…"

The presence behind him vanished, leaving Loki alone in the seemingly empty wheat field.

* * *

"What did they mean by 'your pursuers?'" asks Odin in confusion.

Loki sighs. "Ah, the answer I wish I had known then," he muses. "It would have helped me a lot."

"Loki, what was pursuing you?" Odin persists.

Loki gives Odin a frosty glance. "The shadows, of course," he says, as though it is obvious. "They had a taste of my magic in the world of stars and they wanted more. To them, I was nothing more than a power source. They only wanted to use me." He looks away from Odin. "Now where have I heard that before?"

Odin almost growls in frustration. "Loki, I have told you. I never intended to use you. You were abandoned, helpless-"

"If I was so pathetic, then why did you take me?" hisses Loki venomously. "I've always just been around for you to use. You told me so yourself, before I fell. You intended to use me to stop the war between the Frost Giants and the Aesir. I was nothing more than a stolen artifact, to be hidden away until it was of use." Loki bears his teeth in his fury, before he calms himself down. "But I've said all this before."

Odin looks older than ever, his face careworn. For a brief instant, all Loki sees is the man who was his father all his life, until the moment when Odin revealed that Loki was not, and never would be, the same as the Aesir. "Loki, I-"

"I don't want to hear it," interrupts Loki. He feels a twinge of guilt, but pushes it down. Odin Allfather had slighted him for years. He had favored Thor and promised Loki favor when there was none coming. He hardens his heart.

"Just listen to my story. You know that the shadows were still pursuing my magic. Well, the thing that led them to me was my attempt to see past the glamour that lay over that strange world. After that, nothing was the same. At the same time that the shadows arrived, the source of the rustling decided that I was fit enough to kill…"

* * *

Dun dun DUUUUN!

I think this is the fastest I've ever written another chapter for a fanfic! Maybe I'm actually getting better at this!

Sorry this chapter is a bit short, but since I don't have a lot of time today and I wanted to get something up, I figured that this was a pretty good place to break it off.

Don't blame me! Blame an 8 page history research paper. (I'd rather be writing this, believe me)

Anyway, r&r! I love hearing from you guys!


	3. Chapter 3

OK, so here's yet another chapter of DDS! (pathetically, this is the first fic I've ever written more than 2 chapters for)

Still own nothing. I really want a Loki, though. And an Iron Man.

But anyway…

Enjoy!

* * *

It was quite possibly the worst situation Loki had ever been in. The shadowy monsters reared before him, hissing with rage, longing to feed on his magic. Behind him, he could hear the rustling that announced the arrival of the strange creatures that would not let him see them.

He honestly didn't know how he was going to get out of this.

His strength had returned in the few days that it took the shadows to arrive, but to open another portal so soon might kill him. All he could do right now were small parlor tricks, which wouldn't be much use against an army of magic-eating shadows and something he couldn't even see.

Loki glanced around, counting the shadows: _1…2…3…4….5._ And just one had almost killed him with a single swipe.

He couldn't even guess at how many of the rustling things there were. All he knew from the constant droning sound that there were probably a lot of them.

So he took a risk.

Gathering up all his energy, he pushed it out of himself, propelling the shadows backwards, and, from what he could tell, the rustling things as well.

In the instant where they were all on the ground, Loki made his move. Drawing on the still-unfamiliar Jotun magic that lay dormant within his veins, he froze the shadows where they lay. Even as he completed the spell, he could see the ice melting; it wouldn't hold them for long. With luck, it would hold for just long enough to finish his plan.

Turning quickly, Loki caught his first glimpse of the strange creatures that made the rustling. He had to admit, they were not as intimidating as he thought they would be. True, many might find them terrifying, but he had seen worse.

The things that had made the rustling sound were strangely serpentine creatures with odd protruding spikes traveling down their spines. They were like nothing Loki had ever seen. Luckily for him, there were only eight there; any more and he might as well give up.

They lay limp on the ground, stunned by the impact of his spell.

All the better for his plan.

Before he could turn to see how his spell was holding, the shadows reared up behind him, their claws outstretched, and plunged deep into Loki's body, tearing it to pieces.

* * *

Odin can't keep his eyes from widening with shock. "How did you survive that?" he murmurs.

Loki grins suddenly, breaking the solemnity of the moment. "I didn't. Not really."

When Odin frowns in confusion, his grin widens. "Trust me when I say that no one, not even an Aesir could have survived that," he says in amusement. "Luckily for me, I didn't have to."

* * *

When the shadows drew back hissing in triumph, Loki's body dissipated like fog in wing, winking out of existence as though it had never been there.

During the brief respite when he released the shockwave, Loki made himself invisible, blocked the scent of his magic, and created a perfect copy. Not even the greatest of sorcerers could have told it apart from the real Loki. It even fooled the shadows because it was made of his magic, and it was his magic they were chasing.

Quickly, the real Loki created another clone, which sprang from the air with the same grace as the real Loki. Even Thor might have suspected a trap, but the shadows didn't know any better. All they knew was that the clone standing in front of them smelled of potent magic, and they thirsted for it.

The clone turned and threw small silver daggers into the bodies of the shadows, the magic emanating from them cold as ice. Though they fed on it, the cold began to slow them down, making their reactions sluggish.

In the opening there, the real Loki moved forward, and, unknown to the shadows, summoned the Casket of Winters. It responded to his call even here, on this strange and distant world, roaring to life with the ferocity of a confined blizzard.

Even the shadows couldn't withstand it. Within seconds, they froze to a brittle black sheet of ice, dripping with icicles. Quickly, before they melted again, Loki summoned a staff and, with rapid blows, smashed them.

Somehow, he knew that that wouldn't kill them, but it would slow them down enough for him to deal with the serpentine creatures and leave this world.

* * *

"I dealt with them easily enough, and left soon after that, as soon as I had recovered my strength," Loki continues. "Opening another portal exhausted me, and I rested for a day or two on that world. This one wasn't threatening. It was almost like one of the worlds I dreamed of when I was a child: just a wide open space, plenty of room to play…to a child like me, it was paradise. To me as an adult, it was rather more boring, but nothing was trying to kill me, so it would do."

Odin smiles at Loki, pride evident. "Loki, your ingenuity in beating those creatures is to be admired. I am truly proud to call you my-"

"Before you finish that," Loki says coldly, "remember that I caused the deaths of far more than 80 people in three days. Remember that I am not your son. I will never be your son, Allfather, just as Thor will never truly be my brother. I did what I had to in that field, nothing more."

Odin nods silently. For a moment, he had forgotten that he is talking to Loki after his crimes in New York. He could have been talking to Loki when he was a child again, when he thirsted for his father's attention. Odin longs for those days, but he knows that nothing can bring those days back. Not with the way that Loki is. His pride is too great to allow himself to forgive Odin for favoring Thor.

Loki's cold expression never vanishes as he continues talking. "After a few days recuperating on that world, I decided to move on. My magic had fully replenished, and I had completely healed the cuts from the shadows, though scars remained. The next world I visited was much like the last one: calm and rather boring, at least at first. Like the wheat field, this world had rather more to it than met the eye."

* * *

Loki sprang lightly out of the portal. To his surprise, he landed with a splash in a pool of shallow water, the waves lapping at his boots. Glancing around, he saw that the whole world here was made of water, occasionally broken by reefs and small patches of land.

He splashed over to one, sitting down. The fine silver-colored sand molded to the shape of him, creating a perfect seat, and he sighed. Though he wasn't exhausted from creating the portal, he was a bit tired, and the sand seemed to pull him down into the depths of sleep.

Except that it was literally pulling him down, down into the depths of the ocean. The natural sedative in the sand had done its job; the god of mischief never woke, not even when his body hit the ocean floor.

Luckily for him, this ocean was much shallower than the ones on Midgard. There, the pressure at the bottom of the ocean would kill even an Aesir. Here, the pressure is enough to hurt, to almost break eardrums, but not enough to kill.

And it's that that saved Loki. He woke up when his body hit the sandy seabed, choking on a mouthful of seawater, struggling to breathe where there was no air.

Quickly, he performed a spell that would clear a pocket of air beneath the waves, and gasped in relief as the cool air materialized. All he could do was drag in breaths of air as his body shook with the shock. If he had more strength, he would have hit himself. The sudden change in pressure when he formed the bubble was enough to kill a human, but it probably wouldn't kill him.

Probably.

At least no one he knew was here to watch him die for such a stupid mistake.

Loki dragged the rest of his strength together, extending the air bubble enough to allow him to stretch out a bit and wait for the shock to pass. He didn't have the strength to transport himself to the surface. In any case, what good would it do? He would just get dragged down again and stuck in the same situation.

Loki lay beneath the ocean, shaking as pain wracked his body, waiting for the pain to pass so he could leave this world.

He was so preoccupied with the pain that he didn't notice the shadow looming up in the water behind him, a shadow caused by some huge, shark-like sea monster.

The shudders were beginning to subside as Loki's magic repaired the damage caused by the pressure, the pain finally leaving him.

It faded completely just in time to have the monster crash through the bubble of air, scattering it to the waves and sink its teeth into Loki's side.

Loki screamed as the teeth tore through his ragged armor just as easily as the shadow beings' claws had. The water engulfed him, his scream cut off into a stream of bubbles that ended abruptly as his air ran out.

Blood floated in wisps though the water as the creature swam away, carrying Loki in its jaws.

* * *

Poor Loki…he never gets a break, does he? Unfortunately, there isn't one for him in the near future either…

But I hope you enjoyed it!

As always, R&R :D they're ALWAYS appreciated.

I finally finished the history paper, so after this, I should have more time to write. Hopefully I'll be able to keep getting chapters out ever couple of days, but no promises…I'm notoriously bad with updates.


	4. Chapter 4

Hello again!

I'm so sorry for the wait! I had my finals this week, plus a weekend-long thingy at my church. I'm sorry! Please don't eat me! I'll try to be better with updates now because it's SUMMER! And I have FREE TIME (what a novel idea…)

Anyway, enjoy this next chapter!

(Do I really need to say that I don't own anything?)

* * *

Loki's mind was numb; his vision didn't seem to work correctly. The world swam before his eyes…or was it him that was swimming? A faint roaring sounded in his ears, like waves…like water… But why? He couldn't make himself focus. He was so cold…so very cold…and his chest burned with pressure. He blinked once or twice, trying to clear the haze. Something was wrong. Something was wrong, and he couldn't remember what.

Focusing as hard as he could, Loki managed to turn his head to look around. He was being carried through the sea by a gigantic fish, its sharp teeth embedded in his side, the puncture wounds leaking blood in a steady flow.

He needed air. Even more than he needed to get away from this fish and this world, he needed air. Summoning up his last vestiges of strength, even as his vision began to fade again, Loki blasted the fish to smithereens and propelled himself upwards towards the surface.

He hoped he had enough momentum to reach it, because at that moment, he blacked out.

* * *

"I woke up some time later, laying on one of the many beaches of the world. I was exhausted and close to death from the wounds I had sustained from the fish, but I knew I had to move on. This world wasn't a safe place for me to rest." Loki pauses, glancing at Odin. "The next world I arrived at, when I finally made the portal, is one I wish I had never visited. There, I was unmade in a way that would have broken most people. I was lucky," he says quietly, his voice dwindling, "that I survived it at all. But I didn't feel lucky."

He looks up, his eyes haunted. "The world I arrived at next was the world of the Chitauri. It was…a horrible place; dark, like a night sky, but with no stars to light the way. The world itself was barren and rocky and just as harsh as its inhabitants. I knew I would find no rest there, but I couldn't do anything but lie there. I was woozy from blood loss and the teeth marks that covered my body had yet to heal. I knew that if I tried to move, I would most likely faint from the pain. So I lay there and hoped that whatever lived on that world was friendly."

Loki closes his eyes, the chains on his wrists clinking as he rubs the bridge of his nose. "Unluckily for me, they weren't friendly, at least not once they learned that I was Loki Odinson, an Aesir whom they had been watching for some time. They thought I might have some information that I would reveal if…properly stimulated, shall we say. So they began the arduous task of healing me so that they could strip me down to nothing, humble me, break me."

* * *

Loki woke up lying flat on his back on a strange sort of table. His ruined armor was gone, the teeth marks that traced their way up his side were mostly healed. Groggily, he tried to raise his head, but found it strapped down. Rapid surveying told him that his arms and legs were similarly restrained.

He had no choice but to stare up at the frankly dull sky of this strange world and wonder what was going to happen to him next.

Loki must have drifted off, because the next thing he knew, he was staring blearily up into the face of a very strange creature.

It was vaguely humanoid, but its eyes were too far apart and oddly slanted. They stared at Loki with no signs of life in their amber depths. Its face was a snout-like skull, the nose molded into the face. On its head, it wore what appeared to be a glass dome, ringed with gold that framed its head like a helmet. It growled lowly when it saw Loki was awake.

"Ahhhh," sighed a deep, gravelly voice, and Loki knew instantly that the voice wasn't coming from the creature in front of him. It came from somewhere behind him, but no matter how he twisted, Loki couldn't find the source of it. "I see that you are finally awake. You were in quite a mess when we found you." The tone of the voice set Loki's teeth on edge. It modulated from annoyingly high to unnervingly low. (A/N: For those of you who watch BBC's Sherlock, think Moriarty's voice.)

"What do you want?" Loki rasped, unable to make his voice sound fierce. He was just too drained to put much energy into anything.

"Ahhhh," it sighed again, and Loki couldn't help the shiver that ran up his spine. "That really is the question isn't it, Loki Odinson."

Loki tensed. "What makes you think I am Loki?" he asked, his voice shaking now.

The voice chuckled softly. "Of course you are Loki," it simpered. "There was never any doubt to us. It is clear from your armor and your physique. Loki Odinson is said to wear dark green and bronze armor, which you were wearing when you arrived here. Your face matches every description we have heard about you, but the most obvious sign is that you told us yourself when you landed here. I see you don't remember that, but I don't blame you…you were so near to dead that I feared we'd lose you before we even got started…" The voice still sounded almost cheerful, but there was menace hidden in the core of that voice.

Loki couldn't help himself from asking. "Before we start what?" His voice was wary, but stronger now. Perhaps, if they leave him alone for a bit longer, he can break free.

"Oh, I think you know what I mean," the voice said, the malice becoming clearer. "You, Loki Odinson, have something that we want. We know that you have the ability to traverse the worlds; that much was clear when you arrived here. Let me tell you a story," the voice said, as though to a small child. "Many, many years ago, we Chitauri were feared. We had an artifact, called the Tesseract, or Cosmic Cube. It was powerful enough to earn us a place at the top of the worlds. We could take anything we ever wanted with a single threat. No one dared stand against us. But then, one day, our treasure was taken from us. All the worlds laughed at us," it hissed, fury resounded in its voice, so strong that Loki flinched despite himself. "They laughed at our sudden weakness, and for centuries we have simmered, unable to find the Tesseract. But now, so long after our humiliation, we have found it! It lies on the puny, vulnerable world called Midgard, and we are so close to being able to take it. All we need, Loki Odinson, is you. We need you to forge a connection between the worlds so that we can emerge with all our legions to conquer the worlds once more! And they will regret they ever laughed at us…oh, yes…" the voice mused. "And if you will not help us, you will regret it as well."

A clawed hand stroked Loki's cheek, caressing with enough force to break the skin. Loki clenched the muscles in his jaw and refused to respond to the pain.

"So…what is your answer, Loki Odinson?"

Loki shuddered briefly, then shook his head as best he could. He knew that if he went to Midgard, Thor would be there. No matter how much he wanted to be Thor's equal, he knew that if Thor ever stopped holding back against him, Loki would be dead in an instant. Going to Midgard is not a risk he was willing to take. "I cannot help you," Loki croaked fearfully. "I would suggest-"

Before he can finish his sentence, the Chitauri in front of him, who had been watching stoically, started forward and began to move the table through a door that stood waiting and open.

"You know," the voice mused, "I almost hoped you'd say that. My people will enjoy the chance to inflict pain once again…"

With that ominous sentence, the door slammed shut behind Loki, leaving him and at least one Chitauri alone in the darkness.

* * *

"In that chamber," Loki says quietly, "some of my worst nightmares came true. It was their most sophisticated torture chambers, and they did everything they could to break me."

Odin shudders slightly, and Loki notices that he almost starts forward as though to embrace Loki before stopping himself awkwardly.

"The first round of torture was not terribly bad; the wounds from the shadow creatures had hurt more, but worse than the pain was the humiliation. I was the King of Asgard only days before, and then I was dragged down, treated as something less than alive. No matter how much I resented you for not telling me what I was, at least you had the decency to treat me as something alive. The Chitauri reveled in making me lower myself to beg, which I'm ashamed to say I did once or twice. The torture was not purely physical, you see. They worked off of my hurt that I was adopted, the anger at you for stealing me from the place where I truly would have been King someday. They twisted those feelings until they consumed me, until I truly believed that I had no family on Asgard, or anywhere else. They made me feel more alone than I have ever felt before, and I'll admit that I begged them to stop."

Loki halts abruptly, beginning to pace the room agitatedly.

Odin's one eye softens slightly. It does not excuse Loki, but he is beginning to see how everything that happened came to be, and he cannot help feeling a certain amount of pity for what Loki went through.

"I know that it cannot possibly help you," Odin says gently, "but even Thor could not have stood up to the torture as well as you did."

"Did I?" asks Loki grimly. "Because it seems to me that the Chitauri succeeded in everything they wanted except getting the Tesseract. They did manage to break me, they did manage to make me go to Midgard, and they did manage to mount a fully armed assault on Midgard with their armada."

Before Odin can respond, an attendant hurries into the room, skirting around Loki as though he is diseased, whispering urgently in the Allfather's ear. He glances up in alarm as the attendant scurries out before forcing his face into a façade of calm.

"Your brother is coming, Loki," he says quietly, and for just a moment, fear and vulnerability flash across Loki's face.

Before he can react further, the doors to the throne room bang open and Thor strides in, his face thunderous, Mjolnir clenched in one hand, cape fluttering impressively. Loki cannot resist rolling his eyes slightly.

It should have been an indication that he was adopted far before he found out. Loki never did have the same dramatic tendencies that Odin and Thor have.

"Brother," Thor growls, striding towards them, but stops when Odin raises a hand in warning.

"Thor, I encourage you to wait. Loki was just telling me about what happened to him when he fell into the voice. Listen, and perhaps you will have a different view of your br- of Loki." He senses that Loki will be less than pleased by Odin calling Thor his brother.

Loki sneers. "I agreed to tell my story to you, Allfather, not to anyone else. I am loathe to having an unsympathetic audience when I am baring my soul to you."

Hurt flickers across Thor's face for a moment before it is gone, replaced by his customary snarl. "If you truly wish me to be gone, so be it," he grumbles, but some of the venom is gone, though Loki isn't sure why.

Before he can pull away, Thor strides forwards and seizes the back of Loki's neck, much as he did on the mountain after pulling Loki out of the Avengers' jet.

"Brother," he rumbles, "do not push me away so readily. If you want me to leave, I will do so. But I would rather learn about what happened to you than run away from it forever."

Loki huffs. "Don't expect me to start from the beginning again," he mutters, but the venom is gone from his voice as well, though he wants it to be there. Venom is so much safer than the slight satisfaction coursing through him that Thor is finally listening to him.

* * *

D'awwww! I wanted to introduce Thor eventually, but not til later. Then Thor decided to barge in, and I can't really stop Thor. So he's here a few chapters earlier than I was intending! Yay!

I hope I kept everyone in character! I like to think I've done a pretty good job so far, but if any of you guys have suggestions for me, you know where the review button is!

I've tried to respond to any reviews that I've gotten, but there were a few that I couldn't, so if you haven't gotten a response (if you expect one) that's why!

Again, I'm really sorry about the late update. Hopefully it'll be better now that I don't have to worry about school anymore, at least for a while! I'm now a senior in high school…scary…

Anyway, thanks so much for being (hopefully) patient with me, you guys!

R&R as usual! Writers love to hear from their readers.


	5. Chapter 5

"I will not go into any depth of what happened in the torture chambers," Loki says. "I do not care to remember everything that happened. But I will tell you that I was not me when I came out. The Chitauri had found a way to twist my mind until it was no longer truly mine. Key among their techniques was their ability to use the Tesseract's power for mind control. The Loki that came out was harsher, more violent, and altogether unlike me. That Loki fought with the scepter the Chitauri gave him, while I prefer to fight with throwing knives or my intellect. I was aware of what I was doing, but as though on what mortals call a Television. I saw it happening and reacted to it, but I could not prevent anything from happening. There were times when I came close." Loki glances at Thor. "Key among them was the time on the mountain and the time on Stark Tower, when you tried to convince me to come home. I almost broke free then, but I was never truly free, not until sometime after I arrived back here to Asgard."

Thor frowns. "So you were not in control of yourself, brother?" he asks, and Loki rolls his eyes.

"Were you not listening, Thor? I know you specialize in ignoring me, but I thought that since you were the one who asked to stay, you might listen more closely than you had in the past."

Thor bares his teeth in temper. "I was merely trying to understand."

"I know you were," sneers Loki, "but if you listened to what I was saying, I think you would find that I was quite clear. No, I was not truly in control of myself. You can compare it to what happened to Barton if you wish. Though with Barton, it was much gentler. He underwent no tortures, endured no pain, though I understand it was still difficult for him."

Thor glances at Odin. It's clear that whatever he expected to hear from Loki, it isn't this. "I am sorry, Brother," says Thor formally. "Will you continue your story?"

"My story leads us back to here, Thor," Loki answers. "You know the rest of the story. Though there is one small part left to tell."

The Chitauri had been working on Loki for 56 days now, and the Asgardian was broken. He had ceased resisting, speaking, reacting to anything besides pain. He was ready.

Now, the Chitauri began to heal him, making sure to heal only the physical wounds. They left his mind in the shambles it had become. It took a further 18 days to force Loki back into fighting shape, though he still lay listlessly in his cell after the healing sessions, pale and much thinner than before despite their efforts to fatten him up again.

His eyes had sunken into his head, their blue irises lifeless and blank. His deep red lips stood out on his face, accenting the loss of color. He looked sickly, defeated, broken.

Completely unlike a King.

The voice, which Loki had learned was known as "The Other," began to work at rebuilding his mind from nothing, making him darker, more brutal, less _Loki_ than before.

And when his creation was ready, The Other presented Loki with a spear, bright gold and lethal, the bright blue oval inlaid in the spear bright with energy. The Other taught him how to use it, how to trigger the explosion of energy with his mind alone, how to change its form so that the staff could be with Loki at all times without invoking suspicion.

And finally, after many months in the Chitauri's captivity, Loki was ready.

But not before The Other had one last word with him.

"_The Chitauri grow restless_," it hissed, pacing in front of Loki.

"_Let them gird themselves_," Loki said coldly. "_I will lead them in glorious battle_."

"_Battle?_" The Other sneered. "_Against the meager might of Earth?"_

"_Glorious, not lengthy. If your force is as…formidable as you claim."_

"_You question us?_" The Other hissed, suddenly furious. "_You question Him? He who put the scepter in your hand? Who gave you ancient knowledge and new purpose when you were cast out, defeated."_

"_I was a King!"_Loki snarled. "_The rightful king of Asgard. Betrayed."_

"_Your ambition is little, and full of childish need. We look beyond the Earth to a greater world the Tesseract will unveil."_

"_You don't have the Tesseract yet,"_ he said coldly.

The Other was suddenly behind him, and it was all Loki could do to stop from flinching. "_I do not threaten,"_ he continued, "_but until your force is mine to command, you are but words."_

"_You will have your war, Asgardian,"_The Other said, his mouth uncomfortably close to Loki's ear. _"If you fail, if the Tesseract is kept from us, there will be no realm, no barren moon, no crevice where he cannot find you!"_It leaned in even close, its lips almost brushing his ear. "_You think you know pain? He will make you long for something as sweet as pain…"_

Loki flinched, but The Other simply walked away and left him there.

It took five Chitauri to figure out how to use the portal. It was a simple-looking fixture set into a huge, blank wall made of strange, black metal. After fiddling with it for a bit, the wall pulsed, glowed, and expanded. Loki was swept up in its power and carried off to Earth.

"The Chitauri felt the need to threaten me with far more than what they had already done, even though I was their puppet at that point. Though their armada was destroyed in the battle with the Avengers, there is little doubt in my mind that they will return for me. It would be difficult for them, but they used the Tesseract as a portal once, and they will do it again." Loki glances at Odin and Thor. Both are sitting down, watching him with concern. "I told you this tale, Allfather, not because I thought I had an obligation to, but because I thought you could use a warning. The Chitauri will undoubtedly be coming, and you hold the key to their arrival in the Vault."

Thor shifts uncomfortably. "Father, do you think we should-" but Odin cuts him off as he does to Loki often.

"Where the Tesseract is now is none of your concern, Loki. What matters now is what to do with you. I understand what you went through, and it could not have been easy, but I cannot do nothing. I must think on what you have said. My judgment will be forthcoming."

Thor rises to object, but Odin holds out his hand for silence.

"I know that you think it would be unfair, Thor, but I cannot just let him go, not when two whole realms are baying for his blood. Take Loki to his old rooms. Keep the shackles on, though, to placate protestors. Make sure his presence is kept a secret from all but those who can be trusted, Thor. Not even Lady Sif and the Warriors Three shall be informed. You may go."

Thor grabs Loki's arm and pulls him from the hall with his normal exuberance, but Loki tugs his arm from his grip.

"You oaf, if you go out that way, they'll see us. Did the Allfather not just tell you to keep my presence a secret? Take the shortcut under the city, near the Vault. No one goes down there anymore."

Thor nods and grabs Loki's arm again, dragging him to the entrance of the underground tunnel.

Since Loki's magic is bound by the chains and Thor has no magic outside of Mjolnir and his monstrous strength, neither of them feel the pulse of energy from the Tesseract as they pass near the vault.

The pulse, so innocent to anyone on Asgard, is instantly known to the Chitauri as the signal that the traitor Loki has been found.

On the other side of the portal known as the Tesseract, the Chitauri ready for battle.


	6. Chapter 6

"Oh, Brother, I have missed this," Thor rumbles as he pulls Loki along behind him. "This is almost like old times, when we were children and you had your mischief, and I always got dragged into it!"

Loki struggles to keep up. Though he is, of course, fit, his legs are no match for Thor's purposeful stride. "Thor!" he hisses. "Thor!"

He stopped abruptly. "What is it, Brother?"

"I can hear people, through there," Loki whispers, gesturing up ahead at the junction between corridors.

Thor glances towards it and laughs thunderously. "I hear nothing, Brother. You are overcautious."

It's all Loki can do not to roll his eyes. "Whether I am overcautious or not, your father told you to get me to my rooms without anyone seeing me. Do you wish to fail him?"

He instantly sobers and pulls Loki down a narrow passageway to the left, just as Lady Sif and the Warriors Three round the corner, laughing merrily. They pass quickly enough, and Thor once again drags Loki along.

They meet no one else on their way to Loki's rooms.

There is no reason for Thor to stay, but stay he does. Loki can't help feeling awkward as his "brother" leans against the doorway, watching him get reacquainted with his room.

"Must you remain, Thor?" he says softly.

Thor scowls. "I will remain until I am sure that you are safe, Brother. You have been through much, and I have not been as kind as I should have been when you returned to Asgard. I simply wish to rectify that now."

"You call it returned, I call it being dragged back in chains, called a criminal for crimes I did not willingly commit," says Loki. "And you thought yourself justified in being less than kind to me. Why the sudden change? For all you know, I could be lying. I do that often enough, after all."

"You may lie, Brother, but I do not believe you could invent such a tale. Only a depraved mind could come up with a story such as that and tell it without adding false tears. No, I believe you, and I believe that we have wronged you in return for not trying to find out what happened sooner."

Loki glances at Thor with a hint of amusement. "And I would call you a liar in turn if you said that you truly cared for reasons when you tried to kill me at Stark Tower."

"No," Thor agrees, "then I was only concerned with stopping you because thus far you had not listened to my reason."

"Your reason was, and I quote, 'You give up this poisonous dream. You come home.'"

Thor looks almost guilty for a moment. "It was the best advice I could offer!"

"It was no help to me. I was trapped, unable to do anything." Loki pauses. "You said they mourned. You said you _all_ mourned."

"We did, Brother."

"What I did not tell Odin was that one of the things they used to break me was a view into Asgard. I saw your so-called mourning. I saw a great feast with much celebrating. I saw laughter and mead overflowing cups, and not a second spared for a lost prince. I saw no mourning, Thor."

"We mourned."

"_You_ may have, but the people of Asgard did not mourn the prince they never wanted. Tell me, do people even know of my parentage?"

"They were told after you fell into the void," Thor rumbles, "but they did not-"

"Do not tell me they did not care, Thor," Loki says, his voice dangerously calm. "Do not tell me that people were not a bit relieved when they learned that the traitor prince was gone, no matter my parentage. I was the rightful King of Asgard, then, and still they wanted you. You, who before banishment, nearly caused a war between our ancient enemy? You, who was cocky, unreliable in anything but battle, completely unversed in politics. I was the better candidate for the throne, but they wanted you. They would not have mourned me lightly, not after they learned I tried to kill you with the Destroyer."

"Brother, I do not think that we need to discuss this. It is true that many were not so upset by your absence as is proper, but I do not think that any of them were happy you fall into the void."

"You can tell yourself that all you like, Thor, but do not expect me to believe it," sneers Loki. "I am the Prankster, the God of Mischief. I know that I was not truly trusted, even before the fall. You do not see it, Thor, because you were the only one to truly care if I lived or died. And you were the one I tried to kill. Now, if you'll excuse me, I'd like to get some rest."

He abruptly closes the door, forcing Thor out of the room.

Loki slumps onto the bed, cradling his head in his hands. He didn't mean to pour all his anger out on Thor. If nothing else, his "brother" is perhaps the one person in Asgard who truly cares about him. He didn't deserve it.

But the words had come, and there was nothing he could do about that.

He flops back and closes his eyes, wanting to escape into sleep for a while.

The rumble that shook the palace a few minutes later thought differently.

Loki bolts upright before the tremors even fully stop, looking wildly about to find the source. He has a horrible feeling in his stomach that is only amplified when, a few minutes later, Thor arrives at his door looking grim.

"Brother, I know we are not on the best of terms, but Father has requested that I keep you safe."

Loki glances at him with a hint of scorn. "Safe from what?"

"From the Chitauri ambassador who has just passed through the Tesseract. He demands that we hand you over or they will attack. They have given us until tomorrow."

Loki chuckles. "What do you expect me to do? The logical answer would be to hand me over. No Aesir would risk their lives for me, besides perhaps you."

"Do not jest, Brother," Thor growls. "We do not have any plans to give you up."

"I would be surprised if that were the case," said Loki smoothly. "But I doubt it has not crossed the minds of everyone in Asgard. I am the traitor prince who tried and failed to take over Midgard. I killed 80 people in two days. They might be well rid of me."

Thor gave a low rumble in his chest and seized Loki in a bear hug.

"Thor, get _off._"

"Brother, I wish we had more time, but I must get you someplace safe." Thor releases him and pulls him bodily out of his room and away from the Vault. "The Chitauri have assembled another armada, even more formidable than the last one. They mean to intimidate us into handing you over, but it will not work."

"I am delighted by your faith in the people of Asgard, but I truly do not think they would give their lives for me."

"They will is Odin Allfather asks it."

"But will he ask it? After all that has happened? Will he truly let hundreds die for the sake of one son he did not know how to punish anyways?"

"The Allfather would ask it because you are his son and we are brothers."

"But you cannot tell me you think I deserve people to die for me."

"You deserve safety, Loki! You have suffered much, and now we are trying to keep you safe from the creatures that tormented you, but you will not let us!"

"I was never one for sacrifice, Thor. You know that as well as I."

"Then why did you let go? When you were dangling above the void, why did you let go if not in sacrifice?"

"I let go because it was the only way. Simple as that." Loki glares at him. "Now did you not say you had a task?"

Thor nods, but still looks unhappy. He pulls Loki through a complex labyrinth of corridors to a room Loki had never been in before.

"This chamber is undetectable," Thor informs him. "The Allfather had his best sorcerers enchant it so that the Chitauri cannot find you here. We will tell them we are unable to hand you over because we sent you off somewhere in punishment."

"They know I'm here, Thor."

"They might not know for sure."

"If they came for me here, they know where I am. They did not come here by chance. This is a foolish idea. You should let me come up with the plan next time. You know I am the better strategist."

"You may be a better strategist, but I do not believe you are in your right mind, Brother. You seek to redeem yourself by giving yourself up, but Father and I will not allow it."

"You do not control my actions, Thor. I cannot sit by and let this happen. I am not as strong in battle as you, but you know that I love fighting nearly as much. Do not make me sit here wondering what is happening." He lets tears leak into his eyes, vulnerability showing.

"It will be fine, Brother." And Thor swings the door shut behind him. The lock clicks, and Loki is alone.

Or is he?

"Hello there, pet," purrs a voice from behind him. "Miss me?"

Loki whirls around, and his eyes widen as he recognizes the intruder. "Amora…"


	7. Chapter 7

"Ah, so you remember me," Amora says. "I wondered if you would. It's been a while, Loki. You look a bit pale. Evil plans not going so well?" Her green eyes glint mockingly at him. "I hear you got involved with the wrong sort and came out somewhat worse for wear. It's too bad," she sighs. "You always were one of my favourite Asgardians. We used to get into so much trouble together."

"That was long ago. You left one day without saying goodbye," replies Loki warily. "Why are you here now?"

"Must I have a reason for visiting old friends?"

"You always have an excuse for everything. I've missed our banter."

"If you missed me so much, come with me," she purrs, slinking towards him. "I can show you a way out of here. A way out of this boring place. It'll be torn apart soon, anyway. Shame, but I can't do everything."

"Come with you where?" asks Loki, his tone wary.

"Away."

"If I'm going to come, I need more than that," he scoffs.

"I cannot give you more. You'll simply have to trust me." She smiles, knowing that he will not.

"If it were anyone else, I would not hesitate to say no. Since it is you, I shall hesitate." He pauses, then smirks. "No."

"Already Odin's lapdog again?"

He bristles. "I do not trust you, Amora. Just because you insult me does not mean you can goad me into going with you."

"I have the authority to take you by force, if I must," she drawls. "And, dearest Loki, with your magic bound, I can't imagine you'll put up much of a fight."

Loki glances down at the shackles and curses Thor. Could his blasted brother not take the chains off? He knew the risks! Knew that there might be fighting! He was helpless.

"Perhaps you should not count me out so soon, Amora. You know that my strengths do not lie solely in sorcery." It's a bluff. He's counting on her knowledge that he's seldom without throwing knives to defend himself. Odin took them all when he imprisoned Loki and had not seen fit to return them yet.

"That's an empty bluff and we both know it," she says smoothly. "The Allfather would not supply you with weapons so soon after you were caught. He does not trust you, Loki.

"Is it an empty bluff?" he asks, a smirk sliding across his face. "Tell me, why have your powers have waned of late? If you possessed your normal acuity you would have noticed my little trick by now."

Her eyes widen, then narrow in suspicion. "Oh, Loki, you like to think you can still surprise me. I know what you do best. I know that you are a strong mage, but with the shackles bind any chance you have to create illusions."

Loki grins wider. "If I cannot work magic, then it will be no problem for you to carry me off to whatever realms you wish."

She scowls. "Take him!" she orders to the person behind him, and for the first time, fear is evident in Loki's face.

Skurge the Executioner, Amora's right hand man, grasps for Loki, looking to envelop him in one massive fist. However, when his fingers close, they close on air, passing straight through Loki's body. Loki's image shimmers.

"Figured out my trick yet?" he asks, grinning like a loon.

"Fool!" Amora shouts, gesturing to Skurge. "The real Loki must be somewhere nearby."

He blunders around, searching blindly for Loki, overturning the heavy chairs that litter the room. Before he can completely wreck the room, the door swings open and reveals Loki in full war gear, the horns of his helmet glistening in the faint light of the room. He holds a scepter he had not used since his youth.

He allows himself to grin for a moment before he blurs into action. With a blast of molten gold, he knocks Skurge unconscious, flinging him across the room. Skurge hits the stone wall with a sickening thud and doesn't get up.

Amora raises her hands to start an enchantment, but Loki aims the spear at her, the tip glowing threateningly.

"Not another move, Amora," he hisses. "You know full well that you are no match for my magic. I am faster, smarter, stronger than you. Leave now and we can avoid an unpleasant confrontation."

"Well, you would've been right about that before, but I'm working on something big, something that will allow me to be the most powerful sorceress in the world. I shall leave, for now. But mark my words, Loki. I will return, and you will be powerless before me." She steps through a hastily conjured portal and vanishes.

Noises echo from the corridor, and Loki turns to see a group of around 30 Chitauri crowding around the door, snarling and pushing to be the first to enter the room.

"It seems I am not to be allowed to rest," Loki murmurs, and with a wave of his hands, the spear vanishes. He flourishes his hands, and the Cask of Ancient Winter appears. He grasps it firmly by the handles and a blizzard issues from it, billowing across the room to envelop the Chitauri. They freeze, ice crackling around their limbs. After a few moments, Loki allows the Cask to vanish and the blizzard stops.

Loki ventures out into the hallway, making for the Throne room, even though Thor told him to stay away. The Chitauri's presence warn that the proceedings did not go as well as Thor and the Allfather had hoped. Obviously the Chitauri have decided to make a full scale attack regardless of any peace negotiations.

He reaches the massive double doors and pushes them open to find Thor and Odin deep in discussion with the Chitauri representative. They turn when he opens the doors, the Chitauri hissing when he sees Loki, but Odin raises a hand for silence.

"Loki!" he rumbles. "What are you doing here? I believe Thor expressly ordered you to stay in the room!"

"He told me to stay," Loki says, "but the attack of the Chitauri forced me out. I thought that perhaps things went ill for you here and rushed to see what was happening."

Odin's face softens slightly, but his eyes remain resolute. "This is no place for you. You must leave before you worsen the proceedings. It is tough enough without you here."

Loki scowls, but makes his way out of the room nonetheless. There is nothing he can do anyway.

He is making his way down the corridor, heading back towards his rooms, when he feels a strange tingle on the back of his neck, as though someone is watching him. He turns to look, but the hallway is empty but for the shadows cast by the torches on the walls.

His eyes narrow for a moment before he turns to continue walking. When he turns his back, the shadows move, taking on a shape that is all too familiar to Loki. They have found him at last.

The shadowy monsters from the abyss had followed the scent of his magic to its source and are here to drain him of power.

His fingers flex in annoyance. His magic will not hold them. His scepter lies abandoned in his room. He has no non-magical weapons save for a few scant throwing knives he keeps in a separate dimension to be conjured when he needs them. He has never needed them more, and they spring readily to his fingers, but he fears they will not be enough. There are five shadows, and he has six knives, but if the knives do not kill the shadows in one blow, he is done for.

No time for that now, though. The shadows are converging, their claws reaching for Loki's face, and he barely has enough time to act.

Like the crack of a whip, Loki throws one knife directly at a shadow's head, hoping that it is enough. To his dismay, it passes right through the shadow. It has no effect.

He throws his remaining knives, determined to at least put up a fight, but they do not even slow the shadows down. The first shadow reaches Loki and slashes with its vicious talons, tearing great rifts in Loki's armour. Deep scarlet blood spatters the floor and Loki staggers, ready to fall when the second shadow lashes out, cleaving more gashes into his body.

Any human would have been dead, but Loki clings to life stubbornly as the shadows swarm him, lacerating his body.

"LOKI!" Thor's roar echoes in the corridor, and lightning crackles. The shadows are thrown back, revealing Loki's broken and bleeding body. He is barely breathing, his eyes closed.

Thor attacks with all his might, swinging Mjolnir in great sweeps, the magic hammer miraculously making contact with the shadows, throwing them back. A blast of lightning sends them reeling, and they vanish with a strange hissing, like air being let out of an inner tube.

"Loki!" Thor roars again, turning to run to Loki, only to find an empty pool of blood. A single word had been written in blood on the floor: _Midgard._

Using the last of his strength, Loki transports himself to the only world he knows could be safe for him. The portal opens in the middle of New York City, sending him plummeting through the air, his body spinning like a ragdoll. He does not have the strength to fight the air currents as he fell. He does not have the strength to try to slow his drop. He almost does not care.

Right before he hits the ground, Loki manages to send out a burst of magic, which slowed his fall just enough to allow him to survive.

But what he has not bargained on was the Avengers being nearby enough to land next to the smoldering crater just minutes after he landed, though landed is far too kind a word for what he did.

He is unconscious when they crowd around him, ready for battle and confused at what they find.

"What do you think Reindeer Games is playing at?" asks Tony Stark conversationally.

"Beats me," shrugs Bruce Banner.

"I don't care what he's playing at," says Steve Rogers with authority. "Let's get him back to the manor and into chains while he's still unconscious."

"WAIT!" A loud thud resonates around the empty street as Thor drops from the sky. "My brother means no harm in coming here. He is changed. I beg you to look after him as you would me."

"You can't be serious," snarls Hawkeye. "After what that bastard did to us, we're supposed to just accept that he's different because you say so? I still trust him about as far as I can throw him. If we take him back to the manor, he better be in chains or dead."

Stark pauses. "Hey, Pointbreak, what makes you think he's changed, huh?"

"He has told me the story of how he came to New York in the first place. If he is agreeable, I will tell what I know of it to you while he rests. Perhaps then you will think differently. But I beg you, please, take my brother to the manor and care for his wounds. They are too great for him to survive without help." Thor looks around at them pleadingly. "I beg you," he repeats. "Do not let my brother die when it is my fault he is like this in the first place."

The Black Widow steps forward to look at Loki's injuries. "His wounds are like nothing I've ever seen before," she murmurs, examining him carefully. "I think we should bring him to the manor," she says, and the rest of the Avengers begin their protests.

"Tasha!" Hawkeye exclaims. "You can't be serious. You know what he can do. What he _will_do!"

"He can't do anything in this state," she retorts. "And if anything, if we save his life," she says, overriding the other Avengers. "If we save his life, he'll be in our debt. We know from Thor that Asgardians honor debts. I think we should trust Thor."

Thor nods gratefully, but though Tony agrees with her and Bruce doesn't seem to care, Hawkeye and the Cap are dead set against it.

"Captain, please," says Thor.

He sighs. "I don't think it's a good idea, but if what Natasha says is right, having him in our debt is a good thing. I still don't trust him. I probably never will. But I'm willing to take him back to the manor and try to fix him up."

Thor looks to Hawkeye pleadingly. He scowls. "Just don't let him near me," he says shortly, and Thor beams.

"I thank you," he says.

"Yeah," Hawkeye mutters. "Let's just get him in the Quinjet. Man, Fury is not gonna like this."

The whole team winces at the thought. "Let's agree not to tell him yet," says Stark. "I don't think he'll like Rock of Ages being in the manor without a dozen security guards."

Cap frowns, but nods.

Together, Steve and Tony lift Loki onto the Quinjet, laying him on the floor. There's really no better place for him. The rest of the team crowds on, and Clint fiddles with the controls until they liftoff, heading for the large manor outside the city where the Avengers stay.


	8. Chapter 8

Hey guys!

Ok. So, here's the thing. I'm so sorry for the long wait, but I've had writer's block, and a lot of stuff going on, and really just no excuse. I've been working on the new chapter for the past couple of weeks now, and I have to tell you, I'm not feeling it.

I went back and reread DDS and it's not my best work, and it's not really where I want this story to go. Looking back, I can do a lot better.

So, if you guys will please put up with me for a bit longer, I'm going to be rewriting the entire story so that it's something I can be proud of. I just really don't like the flow it has right now. It'll be the same premise and story, but with more time spent on the important bits. I just want this story to be the absolute best it can be for all you lovely folks who stuck with me.

I'll do my absolute best to get it up by next week. Cross my heart and all that junk. I'll leave DDS up for now, but I'll be posting it as a new story, and I'll probably take DDS down when the first chapter of the new version goes up. It'll have the same title, so please look out for it!

Thank you so much for your patience! Just one more week is all I'm asking. I promise I'll make it worth the wait with a nice long chapter.

-Erica


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